SA : How long did you work for the ASPCA ? Did you receive any promotions or discipline while employed ?
JB : I worked for the ASPCA for a little over three years , from June 2014 to December 2017 . I was not disciplined for any reason , and I received pay increases each year with positive yearly evaluations .
SA : What were the circumstances of you leaving the ASPCA ?
JB : I resigned . There were several things that occurred to influence this decision . The way that the organization treated people was a big factor . The deception and hypocrisy were , too . I had become outspoken about some situations , and my superiors did not like that . I knew it was inevitable that they would try to find a way to terminate me if I continued to challenge them and their cult-like practices .
SA : Why don ’ t we ever hear other accounts like yours ?
JB : The animal-rights world is much like an extremist cult . You are either fully on board or you are ostracized . They are extremely powerful financially and use litigation as their main weapon . They will usually offer an exit interview followed by a severance package for anyone who resigns , and even to those who are terminated . The severance always includes a non-disclosure agreement . The non-disclosure is important for the animal-rights organizations for a few reasons . They compete with each other for donations and do not want their operations and information shared with a competitor . They also don ’ t want someone like me to share information that will expose them for who and what they really are . I was denied an exit interview without any explanation and was never offered a severance or NDA .
The ASPCA and HSUS have no law enforcement authority , but they try to portray themselves as having authority to enforce criminal law . HSUS also hires active law enforcement officers to teach other police officers about investigating animal cruelty . The ASPCA and HSUS provide grants to law enforcement agencies to cover the costs of training and investigations . The grants come with specific guidelines outlining how the money is to be spent .
SA : How do ASPCA investigations differ from regular law enforcement investigations with regards to standards , judgement calls , the role of the investigator and potential biases ?
JB : The ASPCA only investigates so-called animal cruelty . Most of the people employed by the ASPCA have very little training regarding actual criminal investigations or other aspects of law enforcement . As a police officer , I was trained in criminal law and the Constitution . The animal-rights groups are not held to these same standards and do not have public accountability . They set their own investigative parameters and guidelines . They have one goal , and that is to find a law enforcement agency , prosecutor and judge that will be sympathetic to their cause , and to then charge individuals with animal-cruelty statutes . They are clearly biased . No other organizations have achieved such a level of infiltration , influence and manipulation of our criminal justice systems in this country as [ those associated with ] the animal-rights extremism movement .
COURTESY OF JOHN BOLIN
SA : What kind of outspoken truths that you know might be harmful to the ASPCA ?
JB : I believe that the truth about how many animals they actually rescue would hurt them financially . People donate to them based on what they see on the sad TV commercials . The public is led to believe that they are rescuing animals daily . That is very far from the truth . Another thing that could decrease the donations would be educating the public about how much money the employees make and how much money is wasted on things unrelated to animal welfare . A forensic audit of the grants program would expose some very questionable practices . One of the most often used lines in organized-crime investigations is “ follow the money .” That ’ s what needs to happen with these animal-rights organizations . The HSUS [ Humane Society of the United States ] and ASPCA have both been charged with RICO statute violations in the past and have paid millions in settlements .
SA : Was your experience in law enforcement attractive to the ASPCA ?
JB : Yes . The ASPCA and HSUS have been actively and aggressively recruiting law enforcement professionals for several years . The animal-rights organizations do this to gain credibility with the law enforcement community .
After serving nearly 20 years in law enforcement , John Bolin worked for ASPCA in the role of what the group calls an investigator .
FALL 2022 27